How To Choose and Install Smoke and Fire Detectors

Fires usually happen when people are asleep. By the time they wake up and sense something bad is happening, it’s already too late to escape the wrath of fire. Installing smoke and fire detectors could save lives. In fact, it’s already a law to install smoke detectors and alarms to every household of some states like in Ontario.

Even if it’s not a law, it’s still one of the most practical things you can do to try save lives when a fire occurs.

Choosing Smoke and Fire Detectors

Selecting among hundreds of different varieties and brands of smoke and fire detectors can be a daunting task if you don’t know how to consider these features:

Basic technology. There are only two most common types of technology in smoke and fire detectors—photo-electric and ionization technology. The ionization detector responds faster for smokes of fires that are flaming-type. Meanwhile, the photoelectric detector can quickly detect slow and smoldering fires.

Source of power. There are three types of smoke and fire detectors depending on their power source: battery-operated, electric-powered, and an electric-battery power source. The best for most households is the battery-operated, though this can be costly. You can go for an electric-powered but make sure it has a back up battery.

Additional features. There are some smoke and fire detector features that are not really needed but there are some features that will be useful like the pause feature. With this, you can temporarily quiet the alarm without the need to disconnect it from the power source.

Price. Setting the ideal budget for a smoke and fire detector will only be possible if you shop around. Get the common price for a detector that you wish to install in your house.

Installing Smoke and Fire Detectors

There are certain things to keep in mind when installing a smoke and fire detector:

Smoke rises so the perfect spot for smoke detectors should be on the ceiling. You can also install the detector high up on your wall.

Avoid installing the smoke and fire detectors near ceiling fans, cooking appliances, bathrooms, heating appliances, and windows. All these can affect the accuracy of the detector.

Carefully follow the manufacturer’s instruction for installing the detector. There are safety tips when installing the detector on the manuals. Read that before doing anything to keep everything safe.

Reminders

One smoke and fire detector is okay but the more detectors you install, the better. Fire can happen anywhere or any part of your house. The more detectors you have, the better will be your protection. Decide how many you should install in your house depending on how big your house is. At least have one detector in every floor of your house.

Do you think you and your family are already safe after choosing and installing smoke and fire detectors? According to research, many victims of fire have detectors but these detectors were not perfectly working anymore. That is why testing your smoke and fire detectors is necessary every month. This way, you’re sure that the devices that are supposed to protect you are perfectly working. Change batteries of these detectors ever year, as well. Don’t forget to do simple cleaning of these detectors, too.

Careful choosing, proper installation, and regular maintenance—by doing all these, you have higher chance of saving lives and be saved in case of fire.